The Durmstrang Gambit
by Rzz
Summary: Zelda Harry Potter crossover. After a Death Eater attacks Kokiri village, Link begins a cross-dimensional hunt for the Dark Mark. His journey leads him to Karkaroff who offers him a deal: he'll help Link if he wins the Triwizard Tournament for Durmstrang
1. Prologue

A/N: I love Harry Potter/ Legend of Zelda crossovers. Unfortunately, most of them are crap and most of the good ones are never updated (I'm looking at _you _Hamano Ayumi, author of 'Magic Play'). So, I decided to quit whining and write my own. I hope ya'll will enjoy it.

**Prologue**

Arthur Snibbins was born a bad seed. As a baby he smashed his toys. As a child he smashed animals. At age 11 he went to Hogwarts, and the Sorting Hat placed him in Slytherin the moment it touched his head. In his sixth year, he was expelled for torturing a Muggle-born student. It surprised no one when he joined the Death Eaters shortly afterward. Now, some eleven and one-half years after the Dark Lord's fall, we join him fleeing desperately by broomstick from a group of Aurors.

"Is that the best you got?" Arthur yelled as he ducked under yet another stunning spell. "My house-elf has better aim than that! And he has two broken hands!"

The Auror nearest him swore loudly. He and his two subordinates had been chasing Arthur for nearly forty minutes, and they were now in Hogwarts airspace. The Department of Internal Affairs would have his arse if he went this far and returned empty handed. "Incendio!" he cried.

Arthur merely countered with a shield charm, and laughed. "You call _that_ a spell? Let me show some real magic. Avada- urk!" One of the Aurors at last managed to hit him with a jelly-leg curse. Arthur tumbled off his broom... and landed in the Forbidden Forest.

"Should we go after him sir?" the lucky caster asked.

"Why bother. If the fall didn't kill him, the forest will." The Auror sighed. "Let's get back to the Ministry. We're going to have a mountain of paperwork after this."

But Arthur did not die. His fall- and several of his bones- was broken by a series of branches. A kindly young centaur woman found him and secretly nursed him back to health. He thanked the courageous youth by killing her for being a filthy half-breed.

Arthur wandered the Forbidden Forest, desperately seeking civilization. He encountered everything from unicorns to gigantic spiders. His only company during his ordeal was the corpses of creatures he slayed for food. Deprived of all human contact, Arthur's mind slowly deteriorated. After seventy-six weeks he became so desperate for a companion that he seized the decapitated head of a gnome and carved a permanent smile into its face. He named it Steve. Finally, after nearly two years lost in the woods, he emerged, stark-raving mad.

* * *

"Stop being such a bully!" Saria scolded. Mido was forcing one if the other Kokiri to share her lunch with him.

"I'm not being a bully, I'm being the boss. And as boss I'm entitled to certain perks." Mido responded. "And if I can't keep my strength up, I can't protect the village!"

"Protect it from what? Are the Deku Scrubs planning an invasion?" Saria teased.

"Laugh about it all you want, but some day-" Mido fell to the ground mid sentence. He would never speak again.

"Mido?" his would-be victim whimpered. "Mido wake up! It's ok if you want my sandwich just wake up!"

"Heeheehahahaha!" Saria and her fellow Kokiri looked around for the source of the shrill laugh. Their eyes finally settled on a man. With a stick.

"Now then," the man said, "who wants to die next?"

A/N: So Mido is dead, Arthur Snibbins is stark raving mad, and Kokiri Village is facing imminent doom. Not bad for a 500-word prologue! Join me next chapter as Link finally reunites with an old friend and gets home just in time to be a big damn hero. Oh, and _please_ review.


	2. The Hero's Return

A/N: In the prologue we saw Arthur Snibbins kill a small, innocent forest dwelleA/N: In the prologue we saw Arthur Snibbins kill a small, innocent forest dweller. Oh, and a little prick named Mido. In this installment, karma is catching up with him in the form of a blonde guy in a manskirt. Let's watch, shall we?

**Chapter One: The Hero's Return**

Link. The Hero of Time, wielder of the Master Sword, guardian of the Triforce of Courage. He stood on the steps of the Temple of Time waiting for someone he had begun to fear he would never see again. And why wouldn't he? She hadn't appeared the last six times. Nevertheless, Link had come here every year on the anniversary of when he last saw his dearest friend.

The other 364 days a year Link devoted to searching for Navi. He chased every rumor, pursued every lead, and consulted every damn wiseman he could find. But she wasn't in Termina, she wasn't Ordon, and no one in Lycia had even heard of fairies. So here he was, again, playing the waiting game. Link looked up at the sun setting and sighed; it was time to resume travelling.

"Liiiiiiink!" Link turned around and was immediately slammed in the face by what seemed like a ball of light. Focusing his vision, he realized it was the long lost Navi.

"I missed you so much and I was worried something might happen to you or that something would happen to me and that I would never see you again and-". Link held up a finger to silence his babbling friend. Navi took a few deep breathes. Then, she explained what had happened to her.

"When Zelda returned us to the past, I received a summons from the Fairy Queen. A demon calling himself Uncle Rupee had attacked a Great Fairy spring with an army of cursed people. So I was being drafted to help fight him. Seven years," Navi shuddered, "The war lasted for seven years. If it weren't for this guy named Tingle it would have lasted even longer. But now it's over and we're back together!"

Link smiled and took out the Ocarina of Time. He played a few notes. "Ooh, I remember that song! You're calling Saria, right? Telling her I'm finally back?" Navi interrupted. Link gave Navi an annoyed glance. "Oops, sorry. Keep playing." Link finished the song and felt his mind connect to Saria's for the first time in far too long.

'Link? Is- is that really you? You have to come to Kokiri Forest fast. Some kind of magic man is attacking. And Link- he has round ears. Please, help!'

The connection broke, and Link quickly played another song. Epona galloped up to him seconds later. Mounting her, he took off towards Kokiri village at breakneck speed.

"A magic man with round ears_._ You don't suppose...?" Link trembled at what Navi was implying. He spurred Epona to go faster. If Gannondorf had returned...

* * *

"I asked a question. _Why won't any of you answer me_?" Arthur asked of his would-be victims. "C'mon, I just want to have a little fun. If one of you talks, I get to kill you. That's the way the game works. Wait- Steve's trying to say something!"

Arthur reached into his tattered robes and pulled out his gnome-head companion. The sight of it terrified the poor Kokiri, though they dared not scream. Any sound, they knew, would cause the magic man to kill them.

"What's that Steve? You say the red-haired one talked after the mean one was killed? But if she talked, that means I get to kill her." Arthur crouched down a stared at the girl Mido had previously been bullying. "Is Steve right? Were you talking?" The girl remained silent. "I don't know Steve; this one doesn't seem to be a girl at all. I think it's a tree stump. I know Steve! Let's play burn the tree stump!" Arthur ignited his wand.

"Hyaah!" Link leaped off of Epona and kicked Arthur sharply in his skull, knocking him back several feet. Undeterred, the madman rose and addressed the interloper.

"You want to play too, eh? Well since you talked, you get to die!" Arthur recited his most beloved incantation and cast the spell at Link. The hero merely rolled out of the way.

"Hey! Listen! I think you can redirect his attacks like you did with Twinrova." Navi whispered excitedly to her partner. Link nodded in understanding, dodged another spell, and drew out his 'special' shield.

"Play by the rules, you're supposed to be dying! _Avada Kedavra!_ The spell hit Link's shield and disappeared. "Wha? That's not supposed to happen... _Avada Kedavra!" _Absorbed. "WHY WON'T YOU DIE? _AVADAR KEDAVRA!"_ For a third time, the killing curse was absorbed.

The Mirror Shield glowed bright and a green beam shot from it directly back at Arthur. The dark wizard slumped to the ground. Link walked over to him and lifted his head; the eyes were blank, lifeless

"He's dead." Navi announced. The Kokiri gave a half hearted cheer. Saria approached Link and embraced him tightly.

"He took Mido, and now you've taken him." As she spoke, a few tears marred her innocent face. "You've changed Link. You're older and stronger and..." Realization dawned on Saria's face. "...and that means you're not really a Kokiri, doesn't it? Link what's happening? Why did that weird bad man come here? Why is Mido dead? _Why were you gone for so long?_" Her tears poured as fountains and she grasped onto to Link even tighter. "I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry, and hurt. Link- please explain what is happening!"

Link tried to speak- really, really tried- but he couldn't. He wanted so badly to tell Saria everything but was unable to do so. The ability to form words eluded him even then, when he desired it the most. The only thing he could do was hug his old friend, stroke her hair, and lend her his shoulder to cry on. Like always, he had to rely on someone else to talk speak in his place.

"I'm sorry Saria, but we can't explain everything now. We need to find out where the bad man came from and why he attacked Kokiri Village. You should return Mido's body to the earth." Saria reluctantly pulled away from Link.

"Take the bad man's body to the new Deku Tree. Maybe he can help you somehow." Saria said.

Link heaved Arthur's body over his shoulder and headed towards the pathway to the Deku Tree. A feeling in Link's gut told him he might not see Kokiri Forest again in a long time, so he took one last look at it.

"Good-bye Link." Saria said softly. "Please come back soon." And with that, Link rushed down the path to the Deku Tree.

* * *

"Link! I have not seen you in seven years! Or has it been no years? Or perhaps fourteen? That Ocarina of yours did a number on my noggin." The now-grown Deku Tree greeted Link with enthusiasm, but faltered when he saw the 'package' over his shoulder.

"Great Deku Tree, we need your help. Can you tell us anything about this evil man?" Navi asked.

"Well I- lay him at my roots." Link did so. "Okay, I'm still pretty new at this, but let me try a little trick." The Deku Tree's roots enveloped the dead Death Eater's head and part of his torso. The tree's face went rigid. His trance lasted several minutes. When he came out of it, he was shaking so bad leaves were falling off.

"Roll up the man's left sleeve!" Link immediately obeyed and discovered a skull intertwined with a snake. "That symbol means he is part of a group of very evil sorcerers. They're from a world very different from ours, but if this man got here then others like him could too. Link, you have to go to this other world a stop the evil sorcerers! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Hey! Listen! You need to tell us how to get there." Navi reminded him.

"Oh, right. Umm you still have the Ocarina of Time?" Link pulled out the ocarina. "Good. Try playing this tune." The Deku Tree hummed out a series of notes. Link brought the ocarina to his lips and duplicated the tune. "Excellent! Now play it with me. I think my power combined with the Ocarina of Time should be able to send you to the bad man's world. On three: One, Two Three!" The pair played the sweet melody of the Forest Warp Symphony. At the end of it, Link and Navi found themselves tumbling into a brand new world.

A/N: And thus ends the first chapter. Be sure to tune in for 'Chapter Two: Hunting the Dark Mark', coming soonish. I can't promise it will be as long or engrossing as this chapter, but Link will be befriending a thestral. Oh, and if you are reading this, _please_ review. Reviews are the only weapons effective against Writer's Block (hint, hint).


	3. Hunting the Dark Mark

A/N: What? What? An update! Yeah, I kinda dropped the ball on this fic but I have tons of spare time these days and I found my old storyline notes while rummaging through my sock drawer. I don't know if my creative writing juices are anywhere near as flowy as they used to be, but I'll try my best for you.

**Chapter Two: Hunting the Dark Mark**

Link fell for what felt like hours. He tumbled through a kaleidoscope of the cosmos, stars rushing by so fast they became multicolored streaks. Suddenly, everything went white and the triforce symbol embedded in his hand glowed brightly.

'_Oh Link, Liiiink… hey!, I'm talking to you'_

A vestige of a grinning woman appeared before him. She had green hair pulled back into two large buns. Her eyes were the same color as her hair and her frilly dress reminded Link of a fresh springtime garden. She held in her hands a book as big as her smile.

"Hey there Linky-boy! My name is Farore, Oracle of Secrets- I know, spooooky, huh?"

Link blinked, not at all sure what was going on.

"Hah-hah, guess you're confused. That's okay, I'm just here to provide some brief exposition in this story we call life." She opened her book. "According to this, you are attempting to break through an ancient barrier, to go to a place where even the goddesses themselves have no power. Wow, sounds like a toughy."

Farore closed her book. "As an avatar of the goddess of life and courage, I'm here to caution you that you are entering a land where we won't be able to help you. It is a place where your martial skills won't be much use, but where you can find all sorts of uses for your innate magical abilities. I'm afraid all I can offer you is a wish of good luck and this-"

Farore faded away into nothingness, but her book remained and began levitating toward him. The pages flipped themselves furiously before stopping on a page with a single arcane rune. It seared itself into his mind with the white-hot intensity of molten steel.

'_Language, dear boy. this is the only gift we can give you. Everything else must come from your own courage, wisdom, and power.'_

Link resumed falling.

* * *

Link found himself in the middle of a forest, the air heavy with the scent of pine. There was a small amount of hooting and the pitter-patter of small animals, but overall Link had a profound feeling of loneliness in a very dark and very cold environment. Navi shivered from within Link's hat.

"Brrrr. This definitely isn't Hyrule anymore." Navi flew out and looked around. "There's so much magic here though, can't you feel it? I'd say that- oh dear goddesses Link! Look at yourself!"

For the first time, Link looked down at himself. His tunic was ripped in various places and blood was seeping from shallow wounds throughout his body. He didn't know it at the time, but he had suffered lacerated splinching, a hazard for any amateur using attempting to use apparition or related teleportation magic.

"That looks pretty bad. Hey, don't you have a red potion or something you can use?"

Link nodded, then checked his stash of bottles. Unfortunately, he was down to his very last red potion and he hadn't caught any fairies. He decided to save the potion for a real emergency. Instead, he had Navi conjure his red tunic and cut strips from that to bind his wounds. By the time he finished stopping the blood loss, he had all but passed out. Nevertheless, his mission weighed heavily in his heart, so he pushed himself into hiking through these foreboding woods.

Nearly two days later, Link was still lost. His natural fortitude had sustained him thus far, but his hunger and thirst were ever-present. He stumbled into a clearing, and saw what in his hungry eyes was a godsend.

It was the corpse of what appeared to be an emaciated black horse with long, leathery wings. He had a large bite wound near the top of his right foreleg. Link approached it, almost ravenously drooling, when the horse creature snorted.

"Hey, listen! This thing is still alive, you can't eat it yet. Also, this thing is called a thesrtral. They have a reputation of being an omen of great evil." Link looked at Navi quizzically. "Yeah, I've picked up information on _tons_ of creatures over the last seven years. I'm just that awesome. Anyway, do you think we should just put this thing out of his misery? Poor little creature has been wounded bad enough to go but not bad enough to go quickly. A quick sword chop would be merciful."

Link shook his head in disagreement. He pulled out his red potion.

"You can't be serious, you're going to use that on an animal?"

Link went closer to the thestral. He put his hand on the bite wound, causing the thestral to whinny and weakly snap at him. Gingerly, Link poured the magical concoction onto the wound, and instantly it started healing. Blood reversed flow back into the body, muscles re-knotted, and fresh layers of skin grew back. Link took a step back, giving the thestral room to stand up. The thestral tested his leg by stretching it, then took off into the air. Navi stared at Link with a 'told-you-so' look.

"Well, so much for that red potion. Darn thing isn't even grateful enough to-" she was cut off by the thestral zooming back down to the ground, a large rabbit dead between his teeth. The thestral dropped its prey a nudged it toward Link, who graciously accepted it a dug in.

"Go figure, we don't see anything to eat for two straight days and it takes this guy all of twenty seconds to get you something. Hey, here's an idea, let's see if we can get him to lead us out of here."

Communicating with the thestral proved an easy task, as if he and Link had an empathic bond. Over the course of the next several hours, their new friend led them to the edge of the woods.

"Hey, great job thestral thingy! It's too bad we can't keep him…"

Just then, the thestral let out a mournful croon, unlike any noise a horse could make. It continued moaning, and Link soon realized a pattern inherent in the noises. He took out his most beloved possession, a magical ocarina bequeathed to him by the Princess Zelda. He mimicked the thestral's song. Having reached an understanding that their bond would carry on no matter what distances separated them, the two travelers parted ways.

"Hey… Link? Let's call him… Mido"

* * *

Two weeks of searching in what he now knew to be a nation called Norway had proven all but fruitless. Navi had managed to acquire some paper and recreated the mark from the man that attacked Kokiri village. Thus far, everyone Link showed it to had shunned him or turned away in fear. The only new information Link had been able to get about this brave new world was that everyone carried magical sticks with seemingly endless power. After another day of odd stares and evasive non-answers, Link ambled into a run-down bar, hoping the seedier elements of society might be able to give him what he sought.

Link walked into the Hogsass Pub draped in a recently-purchased cloak that covered up his pointed ears (another bizarre thing about this world was that _everyone_ had rounded ear tips. Taking note of two men and a woman, none of whom looked a day over 15, Link went up to the bar, took out a rupee, and indicated that he wanted two shots of something strong. The bartender eyed the jewel suspiciously, then decided money was money and filled the order.

"Jewels, eh? Not from around these parts then?" Link maintained silence. "So what's a pretty-boy like you doing in a shack like this?"

Link took out the piece of paper with the skull and snake marking on it. The bartender's face instantly turned a shade of white normally reserved for snowmen.

"Now look here boy, I don't want any trouble- you just take your drink and your Dark Mark and get the hell out of here! I- oh crap!"

Link's cloak burst into flames. Quickly tossing it aside, Link turned to see the two wizards and the witch all pointing wands at him. He drew his sword and shield.

"What's this?" said one of the wizards, "He thinks he's gonna get medieval on us. What a laugh!" The trio chuckled. "Tell you what though, you're in for some trouble. We three are gonna be Death Eaters some day, and nothing would be sweeter than killing some filthy half-elf monstrosity who's asking too many questions about the Dark Lord."

Link lunged at the talkative wizard. "Protego!" the witch shouted. Link's sword stopped mid-air, as if it had hit a solid wall. "Stupify!" the talker yelled, a red bolt flew from his wand that Link rolled to avoid. "Tarantellega!" said the one who had been quiet until now. This spell Link was unable to avoid or block, and he completely lost control over his collapsed. Clearly, these three young ones were more masters of magic than he had even known possible. All three of them closed in on him, wands drawn menacingly.

"So what do you say boys?" said the witch gleefully, "How can we best honor the once and future Dark Lord of all? Hexing him to death? Crucio? A simple killing curse or perhaps even poison?" She shivered, "Oh the possibilities! Hey, wait, what's he-"

The witch was unable to finish her sentence as just then Link unleashed a move he did not require legs to execute: his full power spin attack. In that one blow, he sent all three of the young thugs flying through the tavern wall. Having rendered the caster unconscious, Link regained control of his legs from the hex. He went back up to the counter and stared intensely at the now-cowering barkeep.

"Okay, okay, I'll talk. Clearly what you can do to me would be far worse than what harassment You-Know-Who sympathizers might give me." The bartender sighed "I don't know much about the Death Eaters myself, they were never as prevalent here as they were in Britain. I do know that the wizardry school of Durmstrang is real big on the Dark Arts, their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff was a Death Eater himself at one point I think. I'll tell you how to get there if you please promise never to come in my bar again. Deal?"

Link nodded. His heart beat faster; avenging the attack on his Kokiri friends was at last within reach.


End file.
